■ Soccer
Edgar thrilled with debut
David Edgar, a Canadian under-20 international, admitted that he "lived a dream" when he marked his home debut for Newcastle United with the goal that earned them a 2-2 draw against Manchester United at St James' Park. Edgar was only playing because Nicky Butt joined Newcastle's long injury list with an ankle problem two hours before the kick-off and does not even feature among the 29 senior players listed in their match program. But he seized his unexpected opportunity in style with the 73rd minute goal that prevented Manchester United going nine points clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premiership.
■ Soccer
Antti Niemi discharged
Fulham goalkeeper Antti Niemi was discharged from hospital on Monday after being cleared of any spinal damage in a neck injury suffered in their 0-0 Premier League draw at home to Watford. The Finland international had flipped in the air while attempting a clearance and landed heavily on his head, nine minutes into the second half at Craven Cottage. He was taken to hospital and Fulham later issued a statement. Niemi was released from hospital and was not in a neck brace, the club said, adding he "will undergo further investigations over the next few days, after which a full prognosis will be issued."
■ Tennis
Marcos Baghdatis advances
Third seed Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus defeated German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 7-5 to move into the second round of the US$1 million Qatar Open on Monday. Fourth seed Briton Andy Murray, fifth seed Mikhail Youzhny of Russia and sixth seed Robin Soderling of Sweden also progressed into the second round. Murray, who lost the first set, rallied to down Italian Filippo Volandri 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, while Youzhny edged past Daniele Bracciali of Italy 7-5, 6-3. Soderling posted a 6-3, 6-3 win over Belgium's Kristof Vliegen.
■ Tennis
Malisse outplays Danai
Third-seeded Xavier Malisse of Belgium outplayed Asian Games gold medalist Danai Udomchoke of Thailand 6-2, 6-2 on Monday in the opening round of the ATP Tour's Chennai Open in India. Fourth-seeded Julien Benneteau and eighth-seeded Nicolas Mahut, both from France, launched their new season with straight-set victories. Benneteau outplayed Russia's Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 6-4 and Mahut overcame Alejandro Falla of Colombia 7-5, 6-4. In other first-round contests, Italian Stefano Galvani defeated Lu Yen-hsun of Taiwan 6-2, 6-3, Kevin Kim of the US rallied to down German Simon Greul 1-6, 6-2, 6-3, and Croatian Ivo Karlovic defeated Indian wild card entry Prakash Amritraj 7-6 (3), 6-3.
■ Tennis
Jankovic breezes through
Top seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and third-ranked Slovak Daniela Hantuchova enjoyed contrasting opening-round victories in the Auckland Classic yesterday. World No. 12 Jankovic encountered little difficulty in disposing of German Julia Schruff 6-3, 6-4, while Hantuchova was made to struggle all the way by 17-year-old compatriot Dominika Cibulkova before winning 6-1, 3-6, 6-2. Hantuchova, ranked 17th in the world and a semi-finalist in Auckland last year, suffered a second-set stutter before booking her place in the last 16.
■ Football
Cardinals dump coach
The Arizona Cardinals fired head coach Dennis Green on Monday after three losing seasons with the team. The Cardinals went 16-32 with Green at the helm, including a 5-11 record this season. Green still had a year left on his contract but the club will pay US$2.5 million to buy him out. Green's dismissal, which was confirmed on the club's Web site, came the day after Arizona ended another disappointing season with a 27-20 loss to San Diego.
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